98: Psalms 35:19

Despite laying down His life for the world, the Messiah will be hated without a cause.

Old Testament Prediction:

Psalms 35:19 “Let them not rejoice over me who are wrongfully my enemies; Nor let them wink with the eye who hate me without a cause.”

New Testament Fulfillment:

John 15:23-25 “He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ ”

Application:

Jesus statement in John 15:25, is a direct commentary on Psalm 35:19. In this context, Jesus believed that this prophecy of the Messiah was written by David, specifically for Him. John’s comment confirms this fact as a fulfillment of this prophecy, by the words; “this happened that the word might be fulfilled…”

This is the astonishing reality of our study in the prophecies of the Messiah. We are not simply seeking to fit Jesus words and ministry into a Messianic fulfillment—we are aligning the words and works of Jesus with the prophecies which were written for these events—confirmed by the testimony of the writers of the New Testament.

Jesus attributes the world’s hatred of Him as a direct fulfillment of Psalms 35:19: “…who hate me without a cause.” When the Messiah arrives on the earth to lay down His life for the sins of all people, most of those whom Jesus has suffered and died for, will hate Him for His acts of love. They will despise Jesus because His sacrifice highlights their sins as evil and defines their lives as necessitating a Savior. This hatred for Jesus is not only unjustified; it allows us to see just how dark and desperately wicked the human heart really is.

John 7:7 (Jesus speaking) The world …hates Me because I testify of it that its works are evil.

John 3:19 (Jesus speaking) And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, but men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

People hate Jesus today for the same reason that they hated Him when He went to the cross. His presence on the earth means that all mankind cannot be saved by any other method other than His death and resurrection. Unless we all repent of our sins (change our minds) and turn to Jesus for salvation, there is no hope of eternal life.

Jesus claimed that He was the only way to heaven and if we did not all repent, we would all perish eternally.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”

Luke 13:3 (Jesus speaking) I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.

If anyone of us could be saved by being a “good person,” then Jesus death would not have been necessary. If there was any other way that we could be saved, Jesus would not have come to earth and suffered so greatly. The necessity of His death—defines our condition as sinners, hopeless, and irreparable. The fact of His death, defines the love of God for all people as infinite and immeasurable.

Are some sinners worse than others?

Luke records an event that is otherwise unknown to us from anywhere else in the Bible. Apparently, Pontius Pilate had ordered the death of certain individuals who were attempting to offer sacrifices. In the process, the tower at Siloam fell and many innocent people were killed. Jesus asks the question: Were these people who died as a result of the tower’s fall, worse sinners than any other people in Galilee? His answer is “No.” There was no connection between this accident, which resulted in their death, and their own personal sins. This tower at Siloam may have been a part of the wall of Jerusalem, near the pool of Siloam. When it fell and killed many people, God was not personally singling out these individual persons for judgment. Their sins were no worse than any of the other people living in Israel, or any other person throughout the world. Even so, Jesus instructs every person to repent of their sins and turn to Him for salvation or we will all be lost.

Luke 13:1-5 There were present at that season some who told Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.”

We have this idea that some sins are worse than others. The truth is that Jesus taught us that all sins are equal before God. All sin separates us from the presence of God and makes our admission into heaven impossible. Jesus said that unless we all repent, we will all perish (eternally).

Jesus came to make it clear to us, that there are really no “good people” who are worthy of heaven. All of us are equally sinners, and we all need a Savior. Only the blood that Jesus shed on the cross is sufficient to pay for the sins of the whole world. This is due to the fact that Jesus is a perfect man who never sinned, while at the same time He is also fully God who created the universe and everything in it. His life as the eternal God, living in the body of a man, is of infinite value. Therefore, He can offer His life in exchange for all other lives. God has accepted Jesus sacrifice for us as the final payment for all of the sins that we have committed. The Bible is the record which proves that God is ready to forgive us because of the sacrifice that Jesus has made. We know that this is true because God validated the sacrifice of Jesus by raising Him from the dead.[1]

Jesus has now made available, the complete forgiveness of all sins, to every person—if they will believe it, receive Jesus as their Savior, and continue to live for Jesus the remainder of their life.

The message that we are all sinners is offensive to many who view themselves as good persons. Their thought is that no human being is perfect; therefore, God must make allowance for imperfection and permit those who seek to be good—admittance into heaven. The problem with this view is that nowhere in the Bible does God assert such a position.

This concept has a fatal flaw: Although a person may be seen as good on earth, admittance into heaven requires perfection—the total absence of all sin.

Romans 3:10, 12 As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one… 12 They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.”

Paul was quoting from Psalm 53:3

Psalms 53:3 Every one of them has turned aside; They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good, No, not one.

All people have sinned; therefore, all people are disqualified from heaven. Even a person who has broken but one law of God is still guilty, because the standard is perfection.

James 2:10 10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of Gods laws. (NLT)

In order to be qualified for heaven, a person must be perfect from the day of his birth until the day of his death. Since this is impossible for all of us, we are all disqualified from Heaven. Jesus’ sacrifice removes all of our sins as if they had never happened. This is the root meaning of the word “justified.” When we place all of our trust in Jesus Christ, God justifies us based on what Jesus has done (just-as-if-i had never sinned). Since Jesus’ sacrifice completely removes all of our sins as if they never took place, we are qualified for heaven; we are perfect in the sight of God.

The world rejects this principle altogether.

John 6:61,66 When Jesus knew in Himself that His disciples complained about this, He said to them, “Does this offend you?” …From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.

This declaration by Jesus that we are all sinners is an offense to most of the world. There are a few, however, who are aware of this truth and understand that they are in need of a Savior to remove their sin and guilt. Those who come to Jesus in sincere repentance and are willing to turn away from a lifestyle of sin and then receive Jesus as their Savior, they have the forgiveness of their sins and immediately possess the right to eternal life. This is the Gospel, or “Good News.”

John 6:67-69 Then Jesus said to the twelve, “Do you also want to go away?” 68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You alone have the words of eternal life. 69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

Because Jesus declares the whole world guilty before God and it remains under His condemnation because of their sins, the world hates Jesus.

Universal hatred of Jesus

You can be in a group of people, and the conversations may drift from one subject to another. When the subject of Jesus Christ comes up, the entire group will suddenly grow silent. Some may walk away; others will become angry that His name was even mentioned. Jesus said that this is not due to the world’s hatred of us as His followers but because the world has hated Him first, because He declares their works are evil.

John 15:18-25 “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know Him who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have no sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin. He who hates Me hates My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father. But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause.’ ”

The hatred that the world has for Jesus, is because He exposes sin for what it is; a violation of the Holy law of God, that is mandatory for all human beings.

John 8:12 “Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.”

John 3:19-20 (Jesus Speaking) “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed.”

In this 98th Old Testament Prophecy, we see that Jesus declares clearly that He fulfilled this prophecy because He was hated for no good cause, but simply because He declared the world guilty and in need of a Savior.

NOTES:￼
[1] Acts 17:31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead.”